Drying clothes in new flat

Pingu1

Hello

I am just about to purchase my first property, a ground floor studio flat in London, and wondered what the best way of drying clothes effectively would be? Currently, I lodge with my landlord and I am able to use a clothes horse in the bathroom. Unfortunately, the bathroom in my flat will be too small for this purpose and as there is no central heating, wont be any warmer than the rest of the property - all the properties in the area are electric only due to proximity of a sewage works. There will be one portable oil fueled electric heater in the main room - total size of the flat is 307 sqm. Would using a dehumidifier work as a cheaper alternative to a tumble dryer? If so, what is a good make/model to buy?

Many thanks

Hermia

If you don't mind spending some money the heated airers from Lakeland are fantastic and can be folded up after use. Whatever you do just make sure you open the windows regularly.

gaz141

if it is a ground floor flat, is there no outside area to stick up a clothes horse to dry your clothes?

torbrex

Put the clothes horse up in the bedroom when you are out all day and in the living room when you are in bed, the clothes won't take that long to dry even with no heating on as long as they are well spun.

I did this for 10 years when living in various flats

Campervanman

Someone once said to me that you have a choice with studio flats - you either live in your bedroom or sleep in your living room. For me the second is more acceptable but having damp washing in your living room would be depressing. The Lakeland airers someone else has suggested are fantastic but they are big when they are up and huge to store in a small flat. I would sort out the heating in the bathroom. If you dont the condensation may be an issue and your towels may be damp (and smelly). There are electric ladder towel towel rails that will warm the bathroom, dry your washing and keep the bathroom warm and that is what I'd go for. I dont think the humidifier will be good. It draws moisture out of everything in the room and is a biggish bit of kit for a studio flat and may be expensive to run.

Leo2020

I have a Lakeland airer the one where the bars heat up. They tend to work best if you lay clothes flat on them. Otherwise it doesn't make a huge difference to drying times. Alternatively if I am washing the bedding I put the duvet over the whole thing. This keeps the heat in and really helps with drying times. But it is pretty big however you can use one half at a time and fold the other half down.

Pixie5740

Tumble drier or a washer-drier?

Edit: you get some with decent energy efficiency these days and to me it would be preferable to hanging up wet clothes where I sleep.

LeafGreen

I'd have thought a de-humidifier would be better as with a heated airer the moisture is going to stay in the flat (in the air, condensing onto surfaces).

scaredlady

have you thought about one of these
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_60740+d04db101?CMP=SSH&tmcampid=28&tmad=c&sku=P5020044790335&ci_sku=P5020044790335&ci_src=18615224&$$ja=cgid:5632648687|tsid:45357|cid:105431527|lid:18283950120|nw:g|crid:54192434647|rnd:11255556107391112195|dvc:c|adp:1o1|bku:1&gclid=CjgKEAjwkpacBRCNlprWw-u-nBwSJACwHiw-AF8XnP8fn7pDIThWgQJR4s87qZ4lb7e84HJ23NjohfD_BwE


obviously you could buy cheaper elsewhere, and this is a link to someone asking about them
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/982197

PasturesNew

torbrex wrote: »

Put the clothes horse up in the bedroom when you are out all day and in the living room when you are in bed, the clothes won't take that long to dry even with no heating on as long as they are well spun.

I did this for 10 years when living in various flats

The OP doesn't have two rooms, it's a studio flat.... so a small room with a sofa bed.... although quite a generous one at 300 sq feet.

OP: I'd definitely get a dehumidifier. Small/cheap/portable.... and they do the job. Can't recommend any specific model though.

AnnieO1234

Tumble dryer everytime I'm afraid. You don't have to invest in a large wardrobe multiple sets of bedding and towels. Everything is dried fast and no issues with damp. In such a small space I just wouldn't entertain anything else.

I lived in a one bed house temporarily between sale and new build - bought a JML dryer thing. Basically a giant hair dryer on a tripod with arms for hanging clothes on. It was faster than line drying, but the heat, damp and space it took up were ridiculous.

Xx